Machine for covering eyeglass-cases.



No. 821,900. PATENTED MAY 29, 1906. F. A. TIBBALS.

MACHINE FOR COVERING BYEGLASS GASES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1902.

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No.82 1,900. 'PATBNTED MAY 29', 1906.

F. A. TIBBALS.

MACHINE FOR COVERING BYEGLASS GASES.

A1 PLIOATION FILED mm: 12. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. TIBBALS, OF WEYMOUTH CENTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO WILTON E. DRAKE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent. 0

Patented May 29, 1906.

Application filed June 12, 1902. Serial No. 111,431.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK A. TIBBALs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Weymouth Center, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Covering Eyeglass-Cases and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improvement in machines for covering eyeglasscases, and more particularlyfor covering the lids of eyeglass-cases.

Eyeglass-cases are now generally constructed of sheet metal covered with leather and lined with plush. Heretofore, so far as I am advised of the state of the art, the covering and lining operations have been performed exclusively by hand, and the object of my invention is to produce a machine by which the outside of the lids of eyeglass-cases may be rapidly and well covered. By slight modification my invention is also intended for .use in lining the lids of eyeglass-cases.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the preferred form of my invention, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing the form and plunger. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a plan of the base of the machine.

According to my invention, the form 1, which is the form described in my copending application executed of even date herewith, Serial No. 111,430, having had the covering materiallaid thereon and the surplus material wire 2 pressed into the groove to receive it and having had the box of the eyeglass-case pressed into the box portion of the form, is laid in the form-receiver 3, yieldingly mounted upon springs 4 in a plate 5, provided with a cavity shaped to embrace the lid-receiving portion of the. form. A screw 6 is provided to limit the upward movement of the formcarrier 3. At this time the edges of the covering material extend laterally beyond the edges of the lid, lying above the level of the upper surface of the plate 5. The main plunger 7 is carried by bolts 8 from the head 9, being normally held in the lowest position permitted by said bolts by a spring 10, interposed between the head and the plunger. A

plunger 11 is provided which embraces the plunger 7, being rigidly secured to the head 9 of the machine. The outline of the auxiliary plunger 11 corresponds to the outline of the lid, and its lower surface is shaped to fit the marginal portion of the inner surface of the lid, a groove 12 being provided behind such surface in order to prevent the paste which may adhere to the surface of the plunger 11 from being spread thereby on the surface of the plunger 7. End wipers 13 are provided, the ends of which are shaped to correspond to the shape of the ends of the lid. These wipers are mounted in guides 14, in which they are adapted to slide toward and from the lid. A side wiper 15 is provided, mounted in a guide 16, in which it is adapted to slide toward and from the side of the lid. The above-described arrangement is such that after the form 1 has been placed in the machine the plunger 7 is depressed into engagement with the inside of the lid, pressing the lid closely into contact with the covering material thereunder, whereby the covering material is securely aflixed to the outside of the lid by suitable adhesive previously applied to the lid or the covering material. By the pressing together of the lid and the covering material the form-carrier 3 is depressed, thereby bending up the edges 17 of the covering material around the edges of the lid. The springs 10 are made stronger than the springs 4, so that the latter springs will yield during the downward movement of the plunger 7. The operation of the plungers is then temporarily suspended while the wipers are moved inward to bend over the upwardly= projecting edges of the covering material.

The mechanism for actuating the wipers consists, conveniently, of the bell-crank levers 18, pivoted together at 19 by a pin-andslot connection and pivoted to the base 20 of the machine at their elbows 23 and pivotally connected by the pin-and-slot connection 24 to the end wipers 13, respectively, a handle 25 being provided on one of the levers 18 for operating it. The pin 19 may engage a slot in the shank of the side wiper 15, so that the three wipers may be operated from one handle, or, if desired, a separate lever 26, pivotally mounted upon the base of the machine at 27, may be provided, which is pivotally connected by a pin-and-slot connection 28 with the rear end of the shank of the side wiper 15, the lever being provided with a lid and securely aflixes such edges to the lid.

My invention viewed in its broader aspects is not limited to the covering of lids of eyeglass-cases, but may be advantageously employed in the lining of lids ofeyeglass-cases or for other purposes, if desired. If it were used for the lining of the lids of eyeglasscases, the plunger 7 would be rigidly mounted upon the head 9, and the auxiliary plunger 11 would be yieldingly mounted thereon, so as to engage the edge of the lining first and hold the same with yielding pressure during the descent of the main portion of the plunger to secure the lining evenly over the inner surface of the lid.

It is to be observed that my invention is susceptible of embodiment in a machine which is not provided with wipers, as after the article-receiving member, which in the illustrated embodiment is the form 1, has descended into the embracing member, which in the illustrated embodiment ofmy invention is the plate 5, the upwardly-turned edges of the covering material may be immediately affixed to the upper surface of the article to becovered by means of an auxiliary plunger without the use of the wipers, as the auxiliary plunger upon its descent cannot force the edges of the covering material outward by reason of the support which the embracing member gives to the covering material, so that such material will necessarily be pressed down upon the upper surface of the article to be covered. In certain of the claims, therefore, combinations have been set forth which do not include the wipers as elements thereof.

Having thus described my i v I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. A covering-machine, having, in combination, a yieldingly-supported member for receiving the article to be covered, a member closely embracing said member, a plunger adapted upon its descent to press the article and the receiving member downward below the surface of the embracing member to cause the embracing member to fold upward the edges of the covering material at the edges of the article, and means for actuating the plunger, substantially as described.

-2. A covering machine, having, in combination, a yieldingly-supported receiving member for holding the article to be covered, an embracing member shaped to conform means for actuating closely to the receiving member, a plunger adapted to descend and press the article and the receiving member downward below the surface of the embracing member to cause the latter to bend up the edges of the covering material, an auxiliary plunger adapted to press down and aflix the edges of the covering material upon the upper surface of the article to be covered, and means for actuating the pressing-plunger and the auxiliary plunger to cause them to engage successively the article to be covered, substantially as described.v

3. A covering-machine, having, in combi- 1;

engage the middle portion of the upper side of the article to be covered and to press it and the receiving member downwardly below the surface of the embracing member to cause the latter to fold up the edges of the covering material, wipers for bending over the edges of the covering material, an auxiliary plunger adapted to engage the edges of the covering material to affix them to the upper side of the article, and means for actuating the plungers to cause them to engage the work successively, substantially as described.

a. A machine for operating upon eyeglasscases, having, in combination, a form to receive the case and covering material to be supported form-receiver, a plurality of wipers, a yieldin ly-mounted plunger adapted to descend an enga e the case tolhold the coverin material an casein position, thereby ben ing the mar in of the covering material upwardly, an an auxiliary plunger adapted thereafter to descend and to press down the margin of the cover upon the upper surface of the case, substantially as described.

6'. A machine for covering the lids of eyeglass-cases, having, in combination, a form adapted to receive a lid, end wipers for bending over the end margins of the covering material, side wipers for bending over the mar gin of one side of the covering material,

the wipers, a pressing, plunger adapted to escend and to bear upon the central portion of the lid, an auxiliary plunger embracing the ends and one side of the pressing-plunger and adapted to descend upon and press down the bent-over edges of IIO the covering material, and means for actuating successively the said plungers, substaI1 tially as described.

7. A machine for covering lids of eyeglasscases, having, in combination, a form adapted to receive the lid, a yieldingly-supported form-carrier shaped to receive and support the form, a yielding plunger adapted to descend and bear upon the central portion of the lid, wipers for bending over the margins of the covering material, means for actuating the wipers, an auxiliary plunger embracing the ends and sides of the yieldingly-mounted plunger and adapted to descend and press down the bent-over edges of the covering material, and means for successively actuating the plungers, substantially as described.

8. A machine for covering lids of eyeglasscases, having, in combination, a form adapted to receive the lid, a spring-support for the form, an embracing member closely conforming to the outline of the form, a main plunger adapted to engage the middle portion of the upper side of the lid, an auxiliary plunger adapted to engage the marginal portion of the upper side of the lid, a head for actuating the plungers, to which the auxiliary plunger is rigidly attached, and a spring connection between the main plunger and the head, the spring-supports for the frame and the main plunger being of such relative strength that during the downward movement of the head the form will yield first causing the embracing member to bend upward the margin of the covering material, and thereafter the main plunger will yield permitting the auxiliary plunger to engage the covering material and aflix it to the upper surface of the covering, substantially as described.

9. A covering-machine, having, in combination, a movable member for receiving the article to be covered, a folding member closely embracing said receiving member and normally located substantially on a level therewith, a plunger for holding the article to be covered against the receiving member, and means for moving the plunger and the receiving member downward to cause the folding member to bend upward the edges of the covering material at the edges of the said article, substantially as described.

10. A covering-machine, having, in combination, a yieldingly-supported receiving member for receivin the article'to be covered, an embracing folding member shaped to conform closely to the receiving member and located normally substantially on a level therewith, a plunger arranged to descend and press the article and the receiving member downward below the surface of the folding member to cause the latter to bend up the edges of the covering material, an auxiliary plunger adapted to press down and aflix the edges of the covering material upon the upper surface of the article to be covered, and means for actuating the plungers to cause them to engage successively the article to be covered, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK A. TIBBALS.

Witnesses:

HORACE VAN EVEREN, ALFRED H. HILDRETH. 

